


Hunter vs Predator

by Vampiric_Ant



Category: Alien vs Predator (2004), Aliens vs Predators Series - Various Authors, Predator Original Series (1987-1990), The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27916510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vampiric_Ant/pseuds/Vampiric_Ant
Summary: The fight that was inevitable.
Kudos: 4





	Hunter vs Predator

**Author's Note:**

> Please forgive any glaring errors. I haven't exactly proofread this yet.

** Hunter vs Predator **

The Arathim silk spitter slowly crept toward its chosen prey: a grey three legged, wingless bird. Even as it tried to stay silent, the spitter couldn't help but quiver in anticipation as it drew closer to its upcoming meal. Having been searching all day for something to catch, it was starving. The bird wouldn't make much of a meal, but it would certainly be better than nothing. As it watched the bird strut around, pecking at the moss-covered ground aimlessly, the spitter tried to decide if it should lunge forth now and devour the bird on the spot, or trap the creature in its webbing and drag the meal back to the nest where it could eat in peace.

Preoccupied as it was with the bird, the Arathim never considered the possibility that something else might be watching it - something far more deadly. It did not register the ominous clicking and crackling that came from a nearby tree. Nor did it notice a subtle shimmering in the air just above one of the tree's thicker branches.

Mahn'tha ("Cunning Spear") studied the creature through his armored mask's thermal vision. At that moment, the Yujatu warrior's camouflage was active, making his form invisible to all other creatures around him. Without taking his eyes off the target, he tapped a series of commands on the control gauntlet attached to his left wrist. His mask's HUD zoomed in on the heat signature of the massive spider-like creature - an _Arathim_ as the natives of this world called it. The triangular targeting reticule materialized on his HUD, positioning itself in the center of the Arathim's heat profile. A moment later, three beams of crimson light shot forth from Mahn'tha's mask. They ominous red lights swept across the unsuspecting Arathim's armored carapace, before coming to rest on the narrow patch of exposed flesh along the dorsal surface of the cephalothorax. Though Mahn'tha was fairly certain that a fully-powered plasma blast could easily pierce the creature's armor, he wanted to make this hunt at least _somewhat_ challenging.

The plasmacaster mounted on his right shoulder made a faint whirring as it responded the mask's targeting system. Mahn'tha waited for the weapon to be perfectly aligned with the laser sight. Then he moved a single clawed finger over the firing control on his wrist gauntlet and pressed down. A ball of superheated plasma burst from the weapon's barrel, streaked through the air and struck the Arathim squarely in its center mass. The bolt hit the target precisely where Mahn'tha intended. It seared through the exposed muscle, tearing into the creature and boiling its internal organs.

The Arathim gave a horrifying screech and flailed about, smoke spewing from the the gaping wound. The wingless bird it had been stalking finally looked up. It squawked in alarm and scampered away as fast as its three legs would carry it.

Despite the creature's extensive injuries, the spitter somehow clung to life. This pleased Mahn'tha very much. He leapt from the tree and gracefully dropped to the ground, landing firmly on both feet. Still cloaked, he extended the blades on his right wrist. He let out a terrifying roar and charged at his wounded prey. Even as it continued to thrash about in agony, the creature could not fail to hear the Predator's bellow. With great effort, it turned itself around and spotted the shimmering figure approaching rapidly. The Arathim screeched in both anger and fear. With what remaining strength it had left, it lashed out at the Predator with one of its front legs.

Mahn'tha sidestepped the attack and moved in for the kill. The Arathim's screeches came to an abrupt end as Mahn'tha's twin wrist blades pierced the soft underside of its head, destroying its primitive brain. He held his blades in place, waiting for the creature to succumb to the inevitable. Once the beast had stopped moving, the Predator yanked his blades out and flicked the blood off with a single flick of the wrist. He then withdrew the blades back into their gauntlet and deactivated his cloaking. Looking down at the corpse, the Predator felt a sense of relative satisfaction. He'd been on this planet for three days now, and only now had he come across something worthy of a trophy.

Before he could decide which parts he should extract, he heard a rustling from behind. Instinctively, he spun around. His thermal imaging picked up something in the tree. A large heat signature that stood exactly on the branch of the tree where he'd been standing mere moments ago: A large hunched, robed figure that stared down right back at him.

Instinctively, the Yujatu targeted the unidentified creature with his plasmacaster and fired. The branch erupted into flame and splintered from the tree, falling to the ground, but not before the creature leapt away onto another branch. The Predator tried to reacquire his target, but the creature had already moved on to another branch. Mahn'tha watched the creature leap from branch to branch with agility that would rival that of a Xenomorph. The creature sprang onto a completely different tree, and a moment later, its heat signature vanished entirely from Mahn'tha's HUD.

No longer interested in the Arathim's corpse, Mahn'than reactivated his camouflage and walked towards the tree that he'd last seen his new target jump onto. He leapt onto its trunk and climbed to one of the uppermost branches. He stood there, knees bent in a crouching position, and searched for the interloper.

He scanned his surroundings, registering up multiple heat signatures from the different animals living in the trees. He adjusted his helmet's sensors slightly, so that only largest heat signatures appeared. In an instant, all but one of the heat signatures vanished. Confident he'd located his target, the Predator began aiming his plasmacaster. Then he paused. Studying the outline of the heat signature more closely, he realized the figure was _staring_ in his direction. Though it gave no indication it actually knew he was there, Mahn'tha hesitated to fire. This creature, whatever it was, had been swift enough to evade a bolt from his plasma weapon already. If he missed again, his position might be compromised, leaving him vulnerable to a counterattack.

Mahn'tha disengaged his plasmacaster. He slowly reached moved one hand toward his right leg and pulled out the bladed smart disc strapped there. He slipped his fingers into all five holes, brought the weapon up to his face for inspection, and clenched his fist tightly. The weapon responded to the movement and came to life. He then pulled his arm back and throw it...

He froze. The creature no longer registered on his HUD. But he had only taken his eyes off the target for a second. How could it have-?

Suddenly, he heard a snarl from above. He looked up just in time to see the creature dropping down from an upper branch. He dodged out of the way just in time, throwing himself off the branch. He and tried to grab hold of another branch with his free hand, but failed. He plummeted down the tree, clumsily crashing straight through at least a dozen smaller branches before finally hitting solid ground.

Though he landed hard on his back, the impact barely fazed him. Roaring through the mask, he wasted no time getting back on his feet. He'd dropped his razor disc during the fall, but as he looked around for it, he suddenly realized he had a much more serious problem. His body was rapidly turning visible. The cloaking generator must have been damaged by the impact.

"Your invisibility trick might have fooled the Arathim," came a low growl from above. "But I don't need eyes to know where _my_ prey is."

The Predator looked up and spotted the creature standing on the branch he'd been knocked out of moments earlier. Its feral eyes glowered down at him through a mask made of bone.

By now, Mahn'tha's cloak had completely evaporated, but he didn't care anymore. He trained his plasmacaster on his foe and fired. The creature sprang from the branch, seconds before it burst into flames. Mahn'tha tracked his target and fired again, but the beast had already moved onto another tree.

The Predator began indiscriminately spraying the trees with plasma fire, incinerating leafs, branches, and any animals unlucky enough to be in the area. One tree was completely blown in half and came crashing down, a blaze. Yet the creature dodged every shot as it jumped from branch to branch, from tree to tree, rapidly making its way down toward him.

"Would you like to try this without your toys, Yujatu?" it taunted, suddenly stopping along a thick tree branch, a mere twenty feet above ground.

Taken aback, Mahn'tha momentarily ceased fire. The beast had called him by his race's true name. This wasn't _possible_. How could this primitive creature know _anything_ of his kind?

As if noticing the Predator's surprise, the creature growled, "The urSkeks visited numerous worlds before coming to Thra. Yours was one of them. And what they knew, I know."

Still slightly shaken, Mahn'tha almost didn't see the knife that came hurtling at him. The crude blade flew past the Predator's head. Thinking the enemy had missed, the Predator trained his targeting reticule on the creature's heat signature and fired.

Or at least he _tried_.

The plasmacaster shuddered violently. A warning message flared across the Predator's HUD. He turned to look at his weapon and saw the creature's blade was now embedded in the barrel, jamming the weapon, which now sparked and sputtered. Plumes of white smoke poured from its exhaust ports as the weapon fried itself in its own superheated plasma.

With a furious snarl, Mahn'tha pulled the disabled plasma weapon off his shoulder and threw it aside. At that same moment, the creature jumped one last time and landed in front of Mahn'tha. Now the Predator could see his foe in all its savage glory: Nearly as tall as him, it had a bird-like head with a beak filled with serrated teeth, hands with razor-sharp claws, and skin that was both leathery and reptilian. It was garbed in ragged robes and handcrafted body armor, which like its mask, appeared to be made of bone.

"I am called the Hunter," hissed the creature. "And I'm quite glad to meet one who enjoys the Hunt as much as I do. Like you, I am a collector of trophies."

He spread his arms and opened up his robes up to reveal a vast array of various animal skulls, bones, blades, and various other items hanging from either side. Mahn'tha couldn't help but be impressed by the display.

The Hunter closed his robes. "Of all the species the urSkeks encountered in their travels, yours was the one I admired the most. A race of beings entirely devoted to the Hunt. If only the rest of _my_ kind had such passion." He inhaled slowly, as though savoring the moment. "You will have the honor of being the prize of my collection."

Mahn'tha growled through his mask. Him - a trophy? Never! _He_ would be them one taking trophies here!

The Predator pulled out his combistick and extended it. He swung it around, assuming a fighting position. The Hunter snarled, then reached into his robes with both hands and produced a pair of curved blades. He too assumed a fighting stance.

For several drawn-out moments, both warriors stood frozen in place, just staring defiantly into each other's faces.

Mahn'tha moved first. Unleashing a Yujatu battle roar, he swung his combistick at the Hunter. The creature deftly parried the spear with one blade and countered with the other. The Predator blocked the blade with the armored gauntlet on his left hand. He then delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of the Hunter. The beast grunted and stumbled back slightly but otherwise seemed indifferent to the blow. He struck back with his whip-like tail. The metal barbs fitted on the end smacked the Predator in the face. The mask's HUD momentarily went offline, blinding him, and giving the Hunter the opportunity to follow up with another swipe from his tail. This time, the blow knocked Mahn'tha off his feet and onto his back.

The Hunter pounced, thrusting both blades down toward Mahn'tha's chest. The Predator's HUD came back online just in time for him to see the incoming attack. He rolled out of the way, avoiding what would have undoubtedly been a fatal strike. He sprang back to his feet and countered with a thrust of his spear that pierced the Hunter's left shoulder.

The Hunter snarled in surprise and recoiled. He glanced at his injured shoulder and sniffed at the blood flowing from the fresh wound. He growled and furiously launched himself forward, slamming his uninjured shoulder into the Predator's chest, driving him backwards. Mahn'tha was smashed violently against a tree with such force, it nearly toppled over. Shaking off the pain, he punched the Hunter in the face with his left hand, cracking the bone mask, and causing blood to spew from the Hunter's beak.

Dazed, the Hunter stumbled backwards, releasing his hold on the Predator. Mahn'tha then jabbed his combistick at the Hunter's head. The Hunter dodged out of the way just in time, and lashed out with his tail once again. This time, Mahn'tha was ready. He jumped high into the air, avoiding the attack. As he fell back to the ground, he delivered a double side kick to the Hunter's exposed back, sending him sprawling to the ground. He then leapt through the air again, this time with his combistick raised high above his head, determined to drive his spear into his opponent's chest. The Hunter sprang back to his feet faster than expected, and pivoted sideways, avoiding the Predator's attack.

Mahn'tha landed hard and staggered. Before he could fully recover, the Hunter twirled around and expertly swung both his blades, slashing them across the Predator's chest, cutting through the protective netting, and drawing blood. Mahn'tha roared in pain. He dropped his combistick and stumbled backwards, clutching at his wounds.

The Hunter cackled gleefully and slowly stalked forward, blood-stained blades held up high, ready to finish the Predator off. Realizing his perilous position, Mahn'tha pulled out one of the last remaining weapons in his arsenal: his netgun. He pointed it straight at the Hunter and fired, catching the creature squarely in the chest. The force of the shot sent the Hunter flying backwards into a tree. His blades flew from his hands. The metallic, razor-sharp netting wrapped itself around the tree and the Hunter, pinning him to the trunk.

The Hunter thrashed against the deadly netting to no avail. He screeched in agony as the net's hold tightened, the razor mesh cutting through his flesh. The Predator picked his spear off the ground, raised it above his shoulder and aimed it at the Hunter's chest. He roared, and with all his might, hurled the spear. Mahn'tha watched it soar through the air towards its target. His mandibles clicked in anticipation of the kill.

Then, at the possible last moment, the Hunter tore himself free of the netting and dodged to the side. The combistick missed by less than an inch and embedded itself halfway in the tree's trunk. The Predator stared, bewildered. How had the Hunter broken out of the net? His primitive weapons couldn't have possibly done anything to be even remotely effective...

And then Mahn'tha noticed what the Hunter was holding in his right hand: The smart disc Mahn'tha had dropped earlier when he'd fallen from the tree.

The Hunter tilted his head and held the disc up, as though taunting his foe. "I thought this might come in handy," he growled. He turned and vindictively slashed the combistick, still embedded in the tree, in half.

The Predator snarled and activated his last remaining weapon - the wristblades on his right hand. The Hunter snarled back, thrust his arms out, and assumed a half-crouching stance. Mahn'tha copied his opponent's movements, bending his knees and splaying his arms out. The two warriors began circling around, neither taking their eyes off the other.

The Hunter's tightened his grip on the disc. "Let's end this, shall we?"

The Predator responded in a distorted mimic of the Hunter's own voice. _"Let's end this, shall we?"_

Many times, such taunt would intimidate or enrage an enemy. The Hunter merely twitched his head, as if mildly amused. Then, with a snarl, he charged forward.

Mahn'tha waited until the Hunter was almost on top of him, then pressed a button on his wrist gauntlet, sending out a recall command to the stolen disc in the Hunter's hand. The disc received the signal and jerked forward, attempting to return to its rightful owner. The Hunter stopped in his tracks and grunted, caught off guard by the disc's sudden attempt to leave his hand, yanking his entire right arm forward in the process. The Hunter tightened his grip on the device, preventing its escape, but also giving Mahn'tha exactly what he needed: a distraction.

Mahn'tha sprang forward, his wristblades aiming for the Hunter's chest. Unable to block with the disc - which was still trying to escape his grip - the Hunter instinctively held up his empty left hand. Mahn'tha's blades went straight through the palm, and the Hunter roared in fury. Before he could do anything else, the Predator reached out with his left hand and seized the Hunter's right wrist. He twisted hard. There was a loud _snap_ , followed by another enraged howl from the Hunter, as his wrist bones shattered. The smart disc finally fell the Hunter's grip and Mahn'tha caught it deftly in his left hand. With his wrist blades still embedded in the Hunter's left hand, Mahn'tha raised the smart disc and prepared to slice open his foe's throat.

Suddenly, something emerged from the Hunter's upper back - an extra pair of arms that, until this very moment, had been hidden underneath his cloak. Each held a blade in its hand. In unison, they plunged down, impaling the Predator on either side of the neck. Mahn'tha let out a shriek of agony. His cry soon turned into a sickening gargle, as he tasted the blood in his mouth. His wristblades withdrew themselves. The smart disc fell from his hand.

Somehow, despite the overwhelming pain, Mahn'tha found the strength to grab the knives embedded in his neck and pull them out. He stumbled backwards and collapsed against a tree. Blood now clogging his throat, threatening to choke him, the Predator ripped off his mask and spewed out the blood from his jaws. His vision blurred and he found himself struggling just to stay conscious.

The Hunter, too, staggered backwards, breathing through ragged, labored gasps, as though the pain and exhaustion of the fight had finally caught up with him. His secondary hands placed their bloodstained knives back underneath his cloak, as he stared down at his badly injured primary hands, one bleeding profusely, the other broken and limp. He then turned his attention to his fallen enemy.

"In all my trine of battle and slaughter, I never imagined this day would come," he said, his voice filled with relish, despite the pain from his injuries. "The day that I would have the privilege of fighting a Yautja. A Predator. And for that, I thank you."

Mahn'tha vomited more blood. He could feel his life rapidly leaving him. And while he could accept his imminent death, there were two things still left to be done. Mustering his remaining strength, he entered a series of commands into his wrist gauntlet, ordering his ship to leave and head back to Homeworld at once. When that was done, he entered a final series of commands into the gauntlet, activating its self-destruct device. The gauntlet bleeped ominously as the countdown began.

The Hunter twitched his head. His yellow eyes narrowed. He seemed to recognize what Mahn'tha had just done.

"So that's how it's going to be?" he growled, sounding more disappointed than frightened. "Such a pity. You would have made a fabulous trophy. My most prized one yet."

He turned to leave, stopping only to pick up the two blades he'd dropped earlier. He then vanished into the jungle.

The pain in Mahn'tha's body had become a cold numbness now. The whirring of the countdown on his wrist gauntlet grew higher in both volume and pitch. He felt a surge of heat in his arm as the self-destruct device prepared to detonate. The Predator thrust his head back and let loose one final roar of defiance.

Then a bright white light devoured him and he knew nothing more.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope everyone is staying safe right now. Hang in there, folks. Things'll get better soon (I hope).
> 
> PS: So sad that Age of Resistance wasn't renewed for a second season! Damn you, Netflix!


End file.
